Many gamers have complained about Diablo III's always-online design, and there have been tons of reports of gamers not able to log into Battle.net to play the game. Blizzard has even apologized for the issues. But with one exception, I haven't had that problem.

I've been playing Diablo III for the last few days, and so far my only problem in connecting to the servers happened around 3 a.m. Tuesday morning, when the servers came alive and everyone who pre-loaded the game rushed to start playing. Since then, I've been able to play Diablo III in the morning, in the evening, and during peak hours with no issues.

I understand if this sounds like gloating. It's not. It's much worse. It's saying these server issues will pass, everyone who bought Diablo III will be able to play it reliably in the near future, and this hiccup will be relatively forgotten, like so many hiccups with the launches of big games.

I hear knives sharpening, so let me also say that I think Blizzard's decision to make Diablo III always-online was foolish, the company should have prepared better for the launch, and gamers are rightfully angry if they can't access the game they just bought. I don't agree with Blizzard on this, but I understand why it did it, and I honestly think this will soon be a forgotten issue and Diablo III will join Team Fortress 2 among the top non-MMO online PC games out there.

The always-on aspect to Diablo III has been dismissed as a greedy grab for control and an effort to keep a fist on Blizzard's controversial real money auction house. It's not. While the auction house is rightfully considered a strange and unsavory aspect to the game that effectively turns players into proxy gold farmers for Blizzard, it's also a feature that's not in any way forced upon players. It doesn't mean anything yet besides giving players an optional advantage in single-player and cooperative play, and while PVP isn't in the game (it's planned for a post-launch patch), strict level caps for items will ensure you won't see any level one munchkins decked out to kill a player who's been playing for hours. When you look at the auction itself, because it's player-driven, it doesn't even have the taint of microtransactions in retail games. Anything you can buy in the auction house you can potentially get in the game with patience.

That's the reason for the always-online feature in Diablo III: not auction control or player control, but inventory control. Anyone who remembers playing Diablo II online probably remembers either seeing someone who used a character trainer to give their characters massive boosts and high-end equipment. In a game with PVP, this can lead to a lot of griefers unless you lock your game down and only stay in single player. The always-online feature lets Diablo III have integration between single player and multiplayer without risking griefers ruining the online experience.

This is a feature that actually can protect players, and isn't just exerting control over the experience. That's still clearly an aspect to it, like most DRM, copy protection, anti-hacking, and always-online features are, but in this case there's justification and a benefit to the player, not just chains.

Having to be always-online is still crippling to players who just want the single-player experience, like I enjoyed in Diablo and Diablo II. Some of us do just want to loot-grind on our own, play through the adventure, and enjoy an experience more like Skyrim than World of Warcraft (though, granted, not as elaborate or huge as either). For those players, the always-online feature is extremely unfair, and Blizzard should have included an offline, single-player option.

Most gamers will enjoy the integration of the modes. While playing, I've had friends jump in and help me in dungeons, and I've jumped into friends' games and helped them. It's very useful, and if you plan on playing Diablo III online at all, or just want the option to do it, it's exactly the upgrade the game needed from Diablo II.

This is a small hiccup during a game's launch, and it's nothing new with other always-online games. Granted, other always-online games are also always multiplayer, which throws Diablo III a little off for some players, but this is still a temporary problem. I think within a week or two the experience will be smooth for everyone.

Well, until Blizzard has to do Battle.net maintenance, which means Diablo III won't be available. Or until someone wants to play Diablo III when they're away from an Internet connection. Or until Blizzard decides to shut down the Battle.net servers.

Okay, I'm not saying the always-online thing is good. I'm just saying I understand. Kind of. In a way. I at least see where Blizzard's coming from on this. I also see where gamers are coming from on this, and I probably just made many of them hate me. I should probably just stop, go home, and play some more Diablo III.

Will Greenwald has been covering consumer technology for a decade, and has served on the editorial staffs of CNET.com, Sound & Vision, and Maximum PC. His work and analysis has been seen in GamePro, Tested.com, Geek.com, and several other publications. He currently covers consumer electronics in the PC Labs as the in-house home entertainment expert, reviewing TVs, media hubs, speakers, headphones, and gaming accessories. Will is also an ISF Level II-certified TV calibrator, which ensures the thoroughness and accuracy of all PCMag TV reviews....
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